Heart of a Warrior
by Omega-Em-Z-01
Summary: Novabolt was just an Autobot scholar with no intentions in getting involved in the war. But when Iacon finally falls, will she and her friends find their way to Earth and to Team Prime? Rated T just in case. OCxTeam Prime.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everybody! Glad you're checking out my new story! This is the second one that I've started and I'm trying to capture a different view of the Transformers Prime world, so let me know if I'm doing a good job or not. Please leave comments, comments are helpful. **

**I do not own anything relating to Transformers Prime! **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 1

_Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! _

A Cybertronian alarm clock went off and ceased when a groaning young femme slammed her servo on the top of it. Her bright blue optics finally opened to an overly decorated berth-room. She got up and stretched as her lavender frame creaked. On the other side of the room laid another femme, still waking up.

"Huhhh… Morning, Novabolt," said the half-awake femme.

"Morning, Dyna," Novabolt stretch again and was fully awake now.

Novabolt and Dyna were roommates at the Iacon Academy for Autobot Scholars. The Academy was connected the Hall of Records and provided shelter for the Autobot youngling from any Decepticon attacks. The school system was designed for highly accomplished younglings looking to start a life in politics, military intelligence, science, and even at Iacon itself. Ever since she was a sparkling, Novabolt had dreamed of being a scientist in studying the unique properties of rare Energon. The Academy had given her the chance to have that life and, even more important, made her feel safer than she would have otherwise.

Novabolt continued to groan while getting her supplies for the day.

"Yet another boring, normal day."

First off, science.

Novabolt smiled at the thought of the word. She could imagine herself in a laboratory filled with samples of Energon in all different colors, finding a way to create a new form of Energon that reconstructed faster than ever. She would be the one to find it.

When she stepped in the classroom, two of her friends, Stormrunner and Searay, waved at her and smiled. Out of the 500 students that attended the academy, only about 40 of them were femmes. Going it over in her head, Novabolt realized that among all of her close friends, Silverstreak, Stormrunner, Cryoblast, Sunspot, Searay, Lightjet, and Moonhopper, Cryoblast was the only one who was a mech. All femmes were constantly together in close knitted groups.

Novabolt sat down at her desk and the science professor began his lesson on the consumption of natural Energon.

Once class had ended, Novabolt headed for Cybertronian World History. She shared this class with most of her friends, with the exception of Silverstreak. Her spark felt heavy for a moment. She and Silverstreak were the best of friends, but lately things seemed to be pulling their friendship apart. Novabolt knew that she had been hanging around this mech during recreation time. She could only hope that Silverstreak wouldn't forget her completely.

Their professor continued talking about the Gladiator Games in Kaon during the last days of the Golden Age. The lesson would have been boring and dull, but the class loved it when he worked in jokes and added a whole knew level of enthusiasm.

"The pits of Kaon were homes to some of the fiercest gladiators on the planet, mainly because they didn't have anywhere else to put them," said the professor, causing the class to burst out in laughter.

"Hey, didn't Megatron first start out as a gladiator?" asked Moonhopper.

The class suddenly grew quiet.

"Why, yes, he did," continued the professor, breaking the silence, "He first started out as the famous gladiator, Megatronus. When he decided to look towards the economical side of the government, he left the glory of the gladiator arena."

"And into the heat of war," added Cryoblast.

"Anyway," the professor continued with his lesson, "The Gladiator Games were often used as a punishment for thieves and criminals. But if they survived the games, they could establish a career in Kaon. Not exactly the greatest job in the world, but better than flipping Energon burgers."

Once again, laughter filled the classroom and carried through the halls.

Novabolt and her friends walked to the cafeteria, with no concern about them whatsoever. However, when they sat down for their Energon rations, Cryoblast brought up a more serious topic.

"I don't know about you guys, but I've heard rumors that Iacon's forces are growing vulnerable, and that if there were an attack, they might fail to keep Iacon safe."

"That's ridiculous!" said Sunspot, "Iacon is the greatest stronghold in all of Cybertronian history. Why would their forces be weakening?"

Soon, everyone else joined in the conversation except for Novabolt. The idea frightened her every time she heard these rumors. She used to live in a city that was considered impenetrable. But when she had left the city to come to the Academy, the city fell into Decepticon hands.

"Hey, Nova," asked Searay, "Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine." Novabolt continued to munch on her Energon cube and tried to change the subject until her next class.

Later, Novabolt was walking down a long hall near where the Academy connected to the Hall of Records. As she walked by one of the doors, she looked in another hallway to see if he was still there.

During the past few cycles while going to her Ancient Relic class, Novabolt noticed a guard near one of the major archives next to the Academy. She had heard that he was once an Elite Guard and she found him very attractive. As she peeked around the corner, she saw his slender white and blue frame with the red Elite Guard symbol on his shoulder. She poked her head out just a little, just to get a better view of him, when he noticed her looking at him. Novabolt could feel her entire faceplate turning red from embarrassment, but he simply gave her a big smile. She smiled back and walked to her class.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Documentation was always a bore and Novabolt couldn't really find anything to do during her recreational period. When the day had finally ended, there was a knock on Novabolt's berth-room door.

"It's open."

In came a femme about Novabolt's age with a black frame decorated with green highlights. She was a little shorter than Novabolt and had the same bright blue eyes.

"Silverstreak," said Novabolt, "How are things?"

"Alright," answered Silverstreak, "I just thought I'd pop in and say hello. So, hello."

Novabolt chuckled. Silverstreak tended to be a bit sarcastic at times.

"How is it going with that mech you've been dating?"

"Really good. He can be a bit weird at times, but he's soooooo nice and polite!" Silverstreak smiled at the thought of him.

"You know," mentioned Novabolt, "You still have to introduce me to him. Heck, I don't even know his name!"

"I know!" said Silverstreak, suddenly very excited, "You can meet him during recreational period tomorrow! It's perfect!"

"Ok! We'll plan on that," said Novabolt with a smile, "See you tomorrow then?"

"Alright," said Silverstreak. The two friends exchanged quick hug and Silverstreak was soon out the door. Once again, Novabolt was left alone in her berth-room. Dyna would probably be back later. Even though it was relatively early, Novabolt decided to recharge for the night. Maybe things would be more interesting in the morning.

**I know this starts out a little boring for the first part of the story, but I need to set things up so no one is completely confused later. For any who are curious, Novabolt and her friends would probably be around 14 or 15 years old (by human standards). There is some foreshadowing going on here that will connect the story to Team Prime later, so hold on tight! Please leave constructive comments! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, again! I've finally gotten around to writing a new chapter for this story. Sorry to those who were waiting; I was also working on Black Wolf at the time. If you want, you can check that out as well! Anyway, this chapter will have more action than the last one. Things will begin to heat up very soon! Please leave comments! **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 2

Just a few more nanocycles annnnnnnnnnnnddddddd….

Yes! The bell indicating the start of recreational period had finally come. Novabolt jumped out of her chair and made her way to the rec room near the main halls. She and Silverstreak had planned to meet there yesterday. Novabolt wasn't particularly interested in meeting the mech; she just wanted to be able to talk to Silverstreak for more than a few minutes.

On the way there, Novabolt ran into her other friends going in the same direction.

"What's the big rush, Nova?" asked Stormrunner.

"On my way to the rec room. Silverstreak was going to introduce me to someone," Novabolt tried to keep walking, but someone had grabbed her servo.

"But, we were going to watch Ringer's and Longrun's Ego-Off, remember?" said Moonhopper. Novabolt looked down for a moment. She remembered that she had promise to watch it.

Before Novabolt could answer, there was a loud bang that shook the whole building.

"What was that?!" asked Lightjet.

"_Attention students and staff, make your way to the underground safe chambers now," _a voice said on the P.A., _"We repeat: make your way to the underground safe chambers now." _

"What's going on?" Novabolt asked a passer-by.

"Decepticon attack on the Hall of Records," he ran off in the direction everyone else was following.

"Oh, Primus," said Sunspot, "This can't be happening!"

The seven friends bolted in the direction everyone else was going. They could feel the walls and floor shake all around them. They were the only ones left in the halls. Everyone else had already gotten into the chambers. The friends could see the doors in front of them. They weren't closed yet and a professor was waving his servo, telling them to hurry up. Suddenly, the wall adjacent to the chamber doors blew apart and several Decepticons walked into the opening.

Cryoblast, who was in front of the group at the time, slows down and turns left as the others follow him. They continue running until Novabolt sees and air duct large enough for them to squeeze into. She stops and tells the others to follow her as she climbs inside. Searay, who is the last one to get inside, closes the air duct just in time for them to see large Decepticon feet walking right past them. Once their gone, Novabolt leads her friends through the air ducts.

"Where are we going?" asked Moonhopper

"I don't know," said Novabolt, "Away I guess."

"We can't hide forever," said Stormrunner in her prideful tone, "We should stand and fight!"

"With what?" said Sunspot, "None of us have any fighting experience whatsoever!"

They continued to argue when they heard something in front of them.

"Oh, no," said Moonhopper, "They found us!"

But instead of Decepticons, Silverstreak crawled around the corner of the air duct in front of them.

"Silverstreak," cried Novabolt, "What in the Allspark are you doing here?"

"I didn't make it to the underground chambers in time," explained Silverstreak, "When I got there, they had already locked the doors. So I thought the best thing to do was climb into the air ducts and hide."

"Well," said Cryoblast, "Great processors think alike."

The now eight friends kept crawling through the maze-like ducts until they came to an opening big enough where they could rest. They could hear blaster fire beneath them. Eventually, it stopped.

"Do you think the Autobot troops were able to fend them off?" asked Searay.

"I'm not sure," said Stormrunner. She started moving towards the center of the opening to try and get a better view below and Sunspot, Moonhopper, and Lightjet joined her.

"No," said Novabolt, "WAIT!"

But it was too late. The entire opening holding them up broke. They all screamed as they fell to the floor below.

They hit the ground with a loud thud. Novabolt's chassis hurt from falling. She started to get up, but stopped when she saw the barrel of a blaster in front of her faceplate.

"What do we have here?" said the Decepticon soldier, "Autobot scholars? The commander will be pleased. Take them all prisoner and bring them to the ship."

Novabolt winced and she felt strong servos grab her own and drag her away. She struggled to free herself, but the Decepticons were far stronger than her. She looked over at Cryoblast, who was shouting and trying to yank his arms free, and then to Silverstreak, who looked at her with terrified optics.

It didn't take long before they were taking to a Decepticon transport ship. They were taken to the detention center and tossed into a large prison cell.

"If you don't let us out right now, I'll tear the door down!" Stormrunner banged against the door and continued yelling.

"Shut up before you give yourselves a helm-ache," said the guard through the door.

Stormrunner vented and kicked the door. She walked back over to sit with the others.

"How exactly would you have torn down the door anyway?" asked Moonhopper.

"Does it matter?" said Sunspot, "We're prisoners on a Decepticon ship! We may be the only ones left from the Academy!"

"Don't say that!" cried Lightjet. She started crying Energon tears. Sunspot apologized and tried to comfort her. Novabolt came over and hugged her.

"Hey, hey," she said reassuringly, "We're going to be fine. Everyone else at the Academy was locked in the chambers. We just need to see if we can get back."

"But first," said Silverstreak, "We need to get out."

"I think I might have an idea," said Moonhopper with a devious grin on her faceplate.

The guards in front of their cell were happy when Stormrunner had finally stopped yelling. One of them vented in relief until he heard loud techno music and cheering coming from inside. Both guards turned to face the door, not quite sure what was going on.

"What in the Allspark are they doing in there?" said one of them.

He opened the door to find the eight scholars dancing to the music. They stopped when the guards came in.

"All of you better be quiet before I give in to my better judgment," said the same guard.

They looked at each other, then pounced on the two guards and pushed them into the cell. Before the guards could regain their footing, Novabolt locked the door.

"I can't believe that actually worked," said Lightjet.

They raced down the hallway, trying to find an escape pod or a ship they could use to leave. The alarm went off above their heads and they ran even faster.

"Where could a fraggin' ship be located?" said Stormrunner in a frustrated tone.

"Over there," said Cryoblast, "That looks like a loading bay!"

Sure enough, the loading bay had a small ship in the center and it looked like no one was there. They rushed over to it and ran inside. Once they got inside, Novabolt and Silverstreak took the controls, since they were to only ones who were old enough to have taken Ship Navigation classes. Soon, the ship hummed with life.

"Hurry," said Searay, "They're coming!"

About 10 Decepticons had entered the loading bay and were firing at the ship.

Novabolt grabbed the controls and they were soon airborne. The ship flew out of the loading bay and into space. But instead of seeing Cybertron, all the scholars saw was the empty vacuum of space.

"Where in the Allspark are we?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry I forgot to add on a little message at the end of the last chapter. I was a little caught up in how to end the chapter that it must have slipped my mind. But not this time. OH MY GOSH! Novabolt and her friends get captured by Decepticons **_**and**_** escape in one chapter. I knew that I wanted them to see some action fairly early in the story. My only hope was that it wasn't rushed in any way. And for any who are curious, I made up the term Ego-Off in reference to two guys in my English class who could make it a reality ****. Anyway, this chapter will focus a little on the scholars as a whole, but more on Novabolt and Silverstreak. Enjoy and leave comments! **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 3

The ship wasn't very big; it only had one or two berths and about six stasis containers. It must have been a prisoner transport ship. There were a few blasters on board as well.

Silverstreak looked at the controls for a minute.

"What the scrap?" she burst out loud, "According to the scanners, we are approximately 174 light years from Cybertron. Why would we be so far away?"

"Who knows," said Cryoblast with a vent, "Do you think we might be able to establish some kind of communication?"

Novabolt pushed a few buttons.

"Maybe," she said, "But right now, we are too close in proximity to the Decepticon ship we escaped from. If we tried to call for help, they'd find us first. We have to move to a safer distance before we can try."

"Great," said Stormrunner, "So we just sit on our tailpipes for how long exactly?"

"Well," said Silverstreak with some hesitation in her voice, "It looks like we might be able to contact someone else if we travel for at least one cycle. Maybe two?"

Everyone on the ship groaned. Sitting in a cramped ship with almost nothing to do was the worst thing they could think of at the moment.

Moonhopper jumped up.

"Well," she said, trying to add in some enthusiasm, "What games to do guys think we should play?"

* * *

One full cycle had past since they escaped. The inside of the cabin had become unbearably cold. There was little to no Energon on the ship to begin with, so everyone on board had to ration what was left. Once that had run out, there was only one option left.

"If we don't find help soon," said Sunspot, "Then we're all going to starve to death. That's the reality."

"If," Lightjet said with a shudder, "We can activate the stasis containers, then we can use them to help reserve the Energon we have left. And as a bonus, it will make this trip a lot shorter."

"But there are only six containers and eight of us," pointed out Searay, "If we managed to activate them, then two of us would have to remain outside."

The friends looked at each other with worried faces. None of them really wanted to remain outside, but someone was going to have to volunteer.

"I'll stay," said Silverstreak, stepping forward, "I'm the only one who can really pilot this ship."

"I'll stay too," said Cryoblast, "No offense to you femmes, but whoever our rescuers will be will probably listen more to me."

"Of course the politician will do all the talking," said Sunspot with a laugh. Cryoblast had joined the Academy to study in the political field, so he often did do most of the talking.

"Then I guess it's settled," said Stormrunner, "Cryoblast and Silverstreak will stay outside while the rest of us remain in stasis lock. We can try and switch out positions so we all get a chance to reserve our Energon."

Lightjet began to tinker with the containers' controls and managed to activate them all.

"Got it!" she yelled, "All stasis containers are fully operational. Prepare for the ultimate power-down."

One by one, the scholars stepped into the pods while Lightjet activated each one individually. But before Novabolt stepped into hers, Lightjet pulled her to the side.

"Lightjet, what's wrong?" asked Novabolt when she saw tears in Lightjet's optics.

"The… The pods," Lightjet's voice choked, "They're operational, but we can't trade places. Once they're activated, then we have to land and have someone unlock them from the outside."

Novabolt nearly fainted. If Silverstreak and Cryoblast couldn't reserve their Energon like the rest of them could, then they could off-line before anyone finds them.

"Do Silverstreak and Cryoblast know?" she asked.

Lightjet bit her lip and nodded.

"They're still willing to take the risk. I thought I should tell you before you went into stasis about it."

"Thank you," said Novabolt, "I'll help you into your pod."

Lightjet agreed and let Novabolt activate her pod for her. As Lightjet closed her optics, Novabolt looked behind her and saw Cryoblast.

"You ready?" he grabbed her servo and started directing her to the last pod. But before he could let go, Novabolt grabbed his faceplate, turned him around, and shoved him into the pod. It closed before Cryoblast could get up, so the only thing he could do was bang on the lid while Novabolt activated the pod. The banging ceased and soon Cryoblast closed his optics.

"What in the Pit did you just do?" said Silverstreak with a look of absolute shock.

"I can't just let my best friend rust alone," Novabolt's voice was a strange blend of courage and fright.

"So, Lightjet told you," Silverstreak lowered her helm.

Novabolt sat in the co-pilot's seat next to her.

"We're in this together," said Novabolt with a smile. The two femmes hugged for what seemed like ages.

* * *

Another cycle had past. The cabin was even colder and threatened to inflict harm on Novabolt and Silverstreak's systems.

"Wh-what's… your Energon percentage?" asked Silverstreak.

"N-n-nine point two percent," Novabolt could barely speak, "Power levels at… point three zero one. Any luck… with com-mm-unication?"

Novabolt felt unbearably weak. She knew the risks as well, but never imagined such a slow off lining. She could feel her own life force ebbing from her body.

Silverstreak looked at the monitor again.

"Nothing," she hit the monitor with her fist, "No one is out here! Who know when we will ever find anyone!"

Novabolt gripped the sides of her helm. Silverstreak shouting was beginning to hurt her audio receptors.

"Oh, Primus," Silverstreak touched her friends helm, "I'm so sorry, Nova! I was just so angry I-"

"It's not your fault," Novabolt said in a weak voice. She touched the side of Silverstreak's faceplate, "But… we need to…"

Novabolt's power was now at .001%, but she didn't tell Silverstreak. She tried to speak again, but no words would come out. She looked into Silverstreak scared optics before her own optics off-lined.

"Nova! Novabolt!"

Novabolt heard Silverstreak's helpless cries before her audio receptors off-lined as well. Then she felt the sensation of flying.

* * *

"Novabolt! Novabolt!"

Silverstreak's voice had risen to a scream. She tried shaking Novabolt, seeing if she was just recharging, but there was no response.

"Nova," Silverstreak was beginning to cry, "Please… don't leave me."

The tears were beginning to surface, but she stopped herself. Silverstreak knew she couldn't waste anymore Energon. She had to stay strong, for her friends, for Novabolt.

She strapped Novabolt into the co-pilot seat and began to work the controls. She was low on both Energon and power, but refused to let her fatigue give in.

After what seemed like an eternity, Silverstreak began to wonder if she should send out a neutral homing beacon. Space was big, but someone would be bound to receive it. The last thing any of them wanted was to be captured by the Decepticons again, but Silverstreak felt like she should take that risk. Novabolt would never forgive her if she didn't at least try.

Before activating the signal, Silverstreak looked back at her sleeping friends and at Novabolt.

"I promise," she said in a strong, fearless voice, "We will be found."

Then, she activated the emergency beacon.

**Before anyone decides to kill me, I just want to clarify. NOVABOLT IS NOT DEAD! I promise. The scholars will soon meet Team Prime here in the next chapter or two, so we'll get to see how this begins to unfold. Laters! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Thank you to everyone who has read this story so far! It has reached almost 200 viewers from several different countries. I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying this! Also, thank you to Pagen Goddess for your Transformers Dictionary. I wasn't quite sure if I was using the correct terms and you dictionary helped out a lot! I couldn't figure out how to make changes to the other chapters, but lets pretend that I said 'stellar cycles' instead of 'cycles'. Anyway, this chapter will finally have some Autobot action! Please comment and enjoy! **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 4

"Optimus!"

Ratchet had called the Autobot leader to the main computer. There was a violent beeping sound emanating from it.

"Our scanners have detected a Cybertronian emergency beacon coming from the outer regions of the Solar System," said Ratchet.

"Of what origin?" asked Optimus.

"Neutral," said the medic, "There's something you seldom find."

"Why would a bot send out a neutral beacon?" said a mech's voice from behind. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Smokescreen had entered to room upon hearing the news as well.

"Anyone care to answer?" asked Bulkhead, continuing on with his question.

"Usually," answered Optimus, "Neutral beacons would be sent out if all resources and/or options on a ship had been exhausted. The beings on this ship may hope to receive aid from anyone, including the Decepticons."

"[Think we could try and call them?]" asked Bumblebee in his beeping voice.

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Optimus stepped up to the computer.

"Unknown vessel, this is Autobot Outpost Omega-1," said Optimus in a semi-monotone voice, "We have receive your emergency beacon on the planet Earth. What is your status?"

For a minute, there was no response. Then, a femme's voice spoke.

"Wh-what planet?"

"Earth. My name is Optimus Prime and I am here on this planet with five others."

"A-Autobots…" the voice was still weak, but sounded stronger, "Need… help… seven with me… five stellar cycles… no Energon…"

"Wait, seven?" piped in Arcee, "Autobots or Decepticons?"

"What is your designation?" Optimus asked the voice again.

The femme's voice could barely be heard. But she spoke again.

"S-s-Silverstreak… Autobot…please…"

"We need to help her!" exclaimed Smokescreen, "Can't we guide them to Earth like the Decepticon warship guided my stasis pod here?"

"If we send Earth's coordinates to their ship," answered Ratchet, "Then Silverstreak can program them into the ship's navigation and direct it here."

Optimus spoke through the computer again.

"We will send landing coordinates to your ship. Once you receive them, deactivate your beacon and program the coordinates into your ship's navigation."

"Thank… you…" Silverstreak replied.

Ratchet sent the coordinates and soon the emergency beacon disappeared from their scanners.

"Looks like we're getting some extra firepower!" Bulkhead pounded his fists together.

"Maybe," said Arcee, "It just depends on who's on board."

"Whoever our newcomers may be," added in Optimus, "I have no doubt that they will contribute what they can to the team."

"Prime!"

Agent Fowler's voice and image popped up on the main computer. His eyebrows were bent into a stern V-shape.

"Agent Fowler," replied Optimus, "How may we be of service?"

"I'm getting reports on a giant spaceship landing in the middle of South America. No word on it saying if it's Bots or Cons, but I figured you should check it out before anything else."

Agent Fowler hung up.

"[They're here!]" beeped Bumblebee, practically jumping up and down.

"Who's here?" asked Miko, "More bots?"

The kids had been picked up from school an hour before Fowler called.

"Arcee, Smokescreen, Ratchet," said Optimus, "You're with me. They will no doubt require medical aid."

Ratchet activated the Ground-Bridge and they entered into a hot and boggy tropical forest. They immediately saw a rather small looking Cybertronian ship in the middle of the trees.

Optimus, Ratchet, Arcee, and Smokescreen walked over and stood under the ship, but it did not open.

"Arcee," Optimus looked at the blue femme and nodded.

Arcee jumped on one of the ship's legs and climbed to the opening of the ship. She managed to open it enough for the others to grab on and climb inside. Once they were inside the ship, Ratchet turned on the lights to get a full view of everything.

The cabin was still cold and a few things were messed up.

"Humph," grunted Ratchet, "Not the best way to transport eight soldiers."

The four Autobots walked into a small hallway. Arcee looked to her right and gasped. Right next to her was a stasis container holding a silver mech with blue highlights. He was about Arcee's height; maybe a little shorter. Everyone else looked to his or her sides as well. Optimus found three femmes. One of them was light pink with white highlights, another was mainly magenta with some sliver designs, and the last one was gold and dark orange. Smokescreen looked to his left and found a dark grey femme with red highlights. Ratchet found a femme with a turquoise frame decorated with lime green, wave-like patterns.

"Optimus," Ratchet's optics widened, "These are all younglings."

Optimus looked at all of the pods again.

"Only six pods," he muttered to himself, "Check the cockpit for the other two."

Smokescreen nodded and walked in that direction.

"Optimus," said Arcee, "Are you sure it's safe to bring them back to base. They may be younglings, but for all we know Silverstreak could've been lying to us. None of them have any insignias or identification whatsoever. All of this could be a set-up"

Smokescreen was listening to what Arcee was saying and couldn't help but agree. There was really no way to know if they were telling to truth.

Smokescreen entered the cockpit to find two more femmes strapped in the seats. They were both fairly small, at least a few feet shorter than Arcee, and neither of them were moving. One was jet black with green highlights and the other was lavender with gold patterns. As he peered more closely at the lavender femme, Smokescreen nearly jumped back.

"Guys! Guys," he ran back to where the others were talking, "These younglings are Autobots!"

"How can you be so certain?" asked Ratchet.

"I recognize one of them in the cockpit," exclaimed Smokescreen, "She was a scholar at the Iacon Academy! The rest of these youngling must be her friends!"

Ratchet went back to the cockpit and scanned both femmes.

"Both of them are in stasis lock," he said while walking back, "They barely have any Energon reserves left."

"They must have stayed behind to pilot the ship," added Arcee.

"We must get them all back to base immediately," said Optimus, "Ratchet, deactivate the pods."

Ratchet and Arcee each deactivated three pods and released the younglings in stasis. Optimus went back to the cockpit and carried the two femmes in both his servos. The younglings that were in stasis stumbled onto the floor and couldn't stand up. Ratchet, Arcee, and Smokescreen each took two and helped them off the ship.

"Bumblebee," said Optimus through his com link, "Open the Ground-Bridge."

"[Did you find them?]" beeped Bumblebee.

A green portal opened and the Autobots walked through to return to the base. On the other side of the portal, Bulkhead and Bumblebee widened their optics when they saw the two young femmes in Optimus' servos, followed by the others walking the rest of the younglings into the base. Jack, Miko, and Raf ran over to the rail to see what was going on.

"Whoa," said Miko, "They're even shorter than Arcee!"

"Miko," Jack nudged her with his elbow, "Don't be rude."

Optimus placed the two femmes in his arms in the medical bay and Ratchet, Arcee, and Smokescreen helped the remaining younglings to the extra berths near the back of the base. When they returned, Miko bombarded them with questions.

"Who are those guys? Why are they so small? Are they awesome fighters? Is one of them famous? How big are their blasters?"

"Miko," Ratchet interrupted her, "They're younglings. They've probably never even seen war."

"Why would there be so many of them way out here?" said Bulkhead.

"Hold on a second," Jack finally spoke, "Before anyone gets any further in this conversation, what exactly are younglings?"

"You might say that their right in between being full-grown and being a sparkling," explained Arcee, "They're probably around your guys' age."

"Really?" asked Miko, getting excited, "Maybe they like heavy metal! I'll get my guitar!"

"Ep, ep, ep!" Ratchet blocked her path with his servo, "They've all gone through a major Energon depletion and need time to recover."

"So," asked Bulkhead, "How exactly are we planning to care for eight younglings?"

"Well," said Arcee with a vent, "Let's find out."

**Yay! Novabolt and her friends have reached Earth and are in Team Prime's care! I know I haven't specified who's who with the color schemes and everything, but here's a little guide to help you visualize the characters better: **

**Novabolt- lavender/gold **

**Silverstreak- black/green **

**Stormrunner- dark gray/red **

**Cryoblast- silver/dark blue **

**Sunspot- gold/dark orange **

**Searay- turquoise/lime green **

**Lightjet- magenta/silver **

**Moonhopper- light pink/white **

**Hope this helps out a little! Watch for the next chapter coming soon! Laters! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading the new chapter for Heart of a Warrior and commenting! Just to recap, Novabolt and the rest of the scholars made it to Earth and were rescued by Team Prime. Yay for them! This chapter goes back to Novabolt's perspective on the whole issue. I will warn you that there will be some serious parts going on. Please enjoy! **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 5

Novabolt's audio receptors on-lined before her optics did. All she heard was talking from a distance. She didn't recognize any of the voices at first, but as she was coming out of recharge, she heard Cryoblast speaking.

Her optics on-lined and she saw medical instruments surrounding her. A few tubes were connected to her servo. Novabolt remembered blacking out on the ship; she must've gone into stasis lock when she ran out of power. But wait, what about Silverstreak? Was she forced into stasis lock as well? Or did she say awake the whole time? And where exactly were they?

Novabolt sat up to get a better look at her surroundings. Beyond the medical instruments, there were crates, other medical berths, and tiny little stairs. She was about to get up when a large hand touched her shoulder and forced her down.

"Ah, ah, you're still recovering from slight system failures," said the older mech above her, "but I'm sure your friends will be please to see you up."

As if on cue, Cryoblast, Stormrunner, Lightjet, Searay, Sunspot, and Moonhopper saw Novabolt and ran over. The other femmes practically hugged the spark out of Novabolt. She hugged back as tears streamed down her faceplate. Once they let go, Cryoblast stoked Novabolt's winglets and smiled.

"We were so worried when Ratchet was explaining your condition," said Lightjet, "We-we really thought that you weren't going to make it!"

"Who?" asked Novabolt.

"Me," answered the old mech. He was white and orange and looked like he was grumpy most of the time.

"Oh, thank you," said Novabolt in a shy tone. She turned to her friends again, "So, where are we?"

"On a small planet called Earth," said Moonhopper, "And you'll never guess who's here also!"

Novabolt was about to try guessing when she heard large footsteps behind her. She turned to find herself facing to leader of the Autobots himself.

"Optimus Prime!" Novabolt's optics widened, "I-it's an honor."

Optimus smiled at the little femme.

"We are all glad that you have recovered so quickly," he said, "But I believe proper introductions are in order."

In walked three other mech and another femme.

"This is Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Smokescreen," Optimus indicated to each of his teammates.

Novabolt's optics nearly bulged out of her helm. The soldier named Smokescreen was the guard from the Academy that she used to see!

"I don't believe we have learned all of your names," said Optimus, interrupting Novabolt's staring.

"Well," Stormrunner spoke up first, "My name is Stormrunner. This is Searay, Lightjet, Sunspot, Moonhopper, Cryoblast, and Novabolt. We were some of the best students at the Iacon Academy for Autobot Scholars. That is, until the day of the attack."

"How exactly did you all end up out here?" asked the femme Arcee.

"When the Decepticons attacked the building," continued Moonhopper, "We were cut off from getting into the safe chambers with the other students. So we tried hiding in the air vents. But we were soon taken prisoner and brought to a Decepticon ship. We escaped and stole one of their prisoner transport ships, but we found out that we were light years away from Cybertron."

"If it hadn't been for Moonhopper," added in Sunspot, "Who knows where we'd be!"

"Well," said Bulkhead, "You escaped a Decepticon ship by yourselves. Have to give you credit for that."

"We ended up having to use the stasis pods because we ran out of Energon," said Stormrunner, "I thought we would be able to switch during travel."

Novabolt suddenly sat up. She noticed that someone was missing.

"Wait," she said, "Where's Silverstreak?"

Everyone's expression turned grim. Ratchet stepped to the side to reveal Silverstreak lying on another berth with several tubes connected to her. There was a steady beeping coming from a machine next to her, but her optics were closed.

"Oh, Primus," Novabolt said quietly, "How is she?"

"She had been avoiding stasis for your whole journey," explained Ratchet, "She has had system wide failures and is in critical condition."

Novabolt tried to get up, but Cryoblast blocked her way.

"No, Nova," he said, "You still need to recover."

"Do you think I care?" Novabolt yelled at him, causing his whole frame to shake, "I need to be with her!"

Novabolt started getting up again, but her friends held her down to the berth. She struggled and fought until they cleared away. Optimus came over and knelt down next to the berth.

"I understand that you want to help your friend," he said in a calming voice, "But the best thing you can do now is let yourself recover and let Ratchet repair her as best as he can. You have to trust us."

Novabolt looked down so he wouldn't see the tears in her optics.

"I-I-I trust you," her voice cracked just a little. She turned to her side and went into a deep recharge.

* * *

Novabolt couldn't sleep. The base was now dark and deserted. Everyone else was recharging for the night, but Novabolt kept looking at Silverstreak lying helplessly on her berth. Silverstreak had nearly given up her spark to save them and Novabolt knew that she could not return that debt.

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly, "I should've been there with you."

"Then you would've been in the same condition," said a voice behind her.

Novabolt jumped and looked to find Smokescreen standing behind her. He still looked the same as he did at Iacon. Novabolt couldn't help but blush, as her crush on him still lingered.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened," Smokescreen came and sat next to her berth, "You would've done the same to help your friends."

"But Silverstreak was the one who got hurt," said Novabolt, "Not me."

"And you don't think she'd be feeling the same if you were the one who was hurt?" said Smokescreen.

"You're right," More tears were beginning to surface, "She would feel terrible."

"I talked to Ratchet earlier," A smile was beginning to creep onto Smokescreen's face, "He said that you should be done recovering by tomorrow. And it looks like Silverstreak is showing signs of healing too."

Novabolt threw her servos around Smokescreen's neck.

"Oh! Thank you," she hugged him tighter, "Thank you, Smokescreen! You're a great mech!"

Smokescreen hugged her back.

"Now," he said while letting go, "You should go get some more recharging time. You'll be able to see her in the morning."

Novabolt watched as Smokescreen left the medical bay. She looked over at Silverstreak again and smiled as her optics closed.

* * *

For the next few days, Novabolt never left Silverstreak's side. The only times when she would leave were to recharge, and even then, she still slept in a berth next to her. Silverstreak's systems were in a stable condition, but they were still about the same as when they were rescued. Meaning that they were still in critical condition.

Meanwhile, the rest of the scholars were adapting to their new surroundings. They had met Jack, Miko, and Raf and got along with them easily.

"What exactly are those?" was Stormrunnner's first question when they were introduced to the humans. She enjoyed spending time with Miko and Bulkhead and didn't cover her audio receptors the first time she heard Miko's guitar playing. In fact, she adored it.

Cryoblast, Searay, and Lightjet liked hanging out with Jack most of the time. They were interested in Earth's culture and the way Jack explained it. When Jack started talking about the vehicles on Earth, they got excited and wanted to see for themselves, almost as if they were ready to pick out their alt modes.

Sunspot and Moonhopper got along great with Raf and Bumblebee. They were intrigued when Raf explained the concept of video games. Bumblebee acted like their mentor, teaching them what he knew about human culture and what he learned from Raf.

Novabolt, however, chose to ignore almost everything around her. The only person who seemed to get through to her was Smokescreen. He would come in practically every hour to check on her. They would chat, sometime talking about Iacon, other times talking about Silverstreak.

"I'm sure that it was her stubbornness that kept her going," said Novabolt, "Silverstreak never back down to anything unless there was a legitimate reason to."

In about a week's time, Silverstreak finally opened her optics.

"Silver!" Novabolt gripped Silverstreak's servo in her own.

"Hey, Nova," said Silverstreak weakly.

"You did it," said Novabolt, "You got us rescued. Everyone's okay. You're going to be okay."

Silverstreak blinked slowly before speaking.

"Novabolt, I've had a vision," said Silverstreak in a quiet tone, "I do not have a place in this war. Not anymore. I realize that the one reason I was sparked was to bring you and the others to this planet, and to the Autobots."

"What are you saying?" asked Novabolt.

"I'm saying," continued Silverstreak, "That you have a greater purpose to serve, and I'm not a part of it. Your place is here, is now, and is with them."

"No," Novabolt now knew what she meant, but refused to accept it.

"It is time for me to reunited with the Allspark," said Silverstreak finally.

"No," said Novabolt, "You can't! You can't leave me like this!"

"I'm not," Silverstreak lifted her servo to touch Novabolt's faceplate, "I'll always be with you. Our life forces are bonded, so you will never be alone."

"You were the best friend I've ever had," said Novabolt, "And I will never forget you."

"You better not," said Silverstreak with a chuckle.

The once steady beeping began to decrease until it flat lined into one long note. Silverstreak's once bright blue optics dimmed and closed.

"Goodbye, Silverstreak."

**Two things: one, please don't kill me 3, and two, please leave comments! Laters! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, sorry that I haven't posted a new chapter in a while. I was finishing up another story and was mainly focused on that. But now that I'm done with Black Wolf, I can focus more on this. My brother recently read the first two chapters of this story and he said that it began a lot like a Halo story he heard once. Something involving a training academy and some guy who's allergic to water ****. I was rather surprised at the similarity this story had with it, but I swear that I never heard that story until my brother told me. And this was, like, yesterday. Anyway, this chapter talks about Novabolt's reaction to Silverstreak's death. Hope you enjoy it! **

**I do not own Transformers Prime! Or anything related to Halo, for that matter. **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 6

The scholars had asked to be alone for Silverstreak's burial.

Silverstreak's death had hit Novabolt hard. She had been her friend for as long as she could remember. Watching her die was like watching her own spark go out. Novabolt almost felt angry about what Silverstreak had said. She doesn't have a place with them anymore? How could anyone say that?! After Silverstreak's monitor flat-lined, Novabolt didn't talk, eat, walk around much, and barely recharged. Nothing in the world could be compared to her depression.

The other scholars weren't particularly close to Silverstreak. They seldom talked during recreational period and they regarded her more as an acquaintance. But they understood the loss. If it hadn't been for her, they might have all been dead.

All seven of them took Silverstreak's body to the top of one of the mountain-like structures outside of the base. While going up there, Novabolt noticed a pile of rocks near the edge. They were neatly organized into a large pile. A grave.

_I wonder who that was, _Novabolt thought to herself. They laid Silverstreak down far off to the side of the other grave, in respect to whoever it was, and piled several rocks on top of her body. They stood in silence for about an hour.

"We should go back," said Sunspot. Everyone else started to head back, but Novabolt stayed behind. She fell to her knees without a word. It took about three hours before she decided to come back inside. She paid no attention to anyone calling out her name as she walked back to her new berth room. She never felt so alone.

* * *

No one else had really seen Novabolt since Silverstreak's funeral. She never came out, not even to get some Energon, and everyone else wondered if she was even recharging.

Arcee thought about going back to her berth room and seeing if she was okay. She didn't want to invade her privacy, but she wasn't responding to anyone. Not even to Smokescreen, whom she seemed to get along with so well.

Jack was showing Cryoblast, Lightjet, and Searay something on his laptop, so Arcee had some free time on her hands. She walked to the back of the base where most of the younglings berth rooms were located. She walked up to Novabolt's door and knocked.

"Novabolt?" Arcee said sheepishly, "May I come in?"

There was silence on the other side. Arcee opened the door just a crack. She saw Novabolt sitting on her berth, hugging her knees and looking blankly at the floor. She came into the room and sat down next to her, not quite sure what to say. She wasn't exactly the best at helping people with things like this. She recently helped Miko through Bulkhead's recovery, but someone's recovery and someone's death were very different.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," said Arcee, "I understand what your going through."

Novabolt remained silent.

"I think we all go through something like this at some point in our lives. And, it's never easy."

Arcee placed a hand on Novabolt's shoulder.

"But we all have to come back to the world at some point. We need you to be strong. And I'm sure Silverstreak would want you to be too."

Novabolt remained motionless, but spoke for the first time in a few days.

"You said that you understood what I was going through."

Arcee bit her lip.

"Yes," she said, "A long time ago, a friend of mine was killed on Cybertron. His death was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through. I tried to shut out my feelings, keep myself from connecting to anyone, but it wasn't helping me. Lucky for me, I had people to help me get through that hard time."

Arcee thought of Cliffjumper. Her thoughts started to wander until Novabolt spoke again.

"Who was buried on the mountain?" Arcee noticed that Novabolt was looking up at her.

"His name was Cliffjumper," she said, "He was the one who helped me get through everything."

"I'm sorry," said Novabolt. She let go of her legs and set them on the ground.

"I'm not gonna lie," continued Arcee, "I was closer to him than anyone else I've ever met. I never even got the chance to say goodbye."

Arcee seemed to trail off for a minute. She turned to Novabolt again.

"But the rest of the team helped me from closing myself off again. And in the end, I felt stronger. Right now, you need to let your friends help guide you through this. You'll still feel sad, but eventually this feeling will pass."

Novabolt looked down for a moment, and then looked back up.

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Come on," Arcee patted her shoulder, "There's someone I want you to meet. And while we're up, let's get you some Energon too."

Arcee stood up and offered her hand to Novabolt. She grabbed it and stood up. While they walked back to the front of the base, Arcee smiled to herself. She almost felt like a mother. A caring parent. Maybe that's just what these younglings needed.

* * *

"So, wait. If you possess technology to create life-like images from a computer, then why would a popular game revert to pixelated images for entertainment?"

Arcee had brought Novabolt out to meet Jack and the rest of the kids. When they came in, Jack was showing Cryoblast, Lightjet, and Searay his favorite computer game. Her friends welcome her into the conversation. They didn't quite understand the logic behind it either.

"Well," Jack tried to find a way to explain it, "I guess the people who made it wanted it to be like building blocks, so you could make anything on it."

"I think I understand," said Novabolt. She was beginning to feel better. She liked talking to the kids, mostly Jack, and learning things about Earth. Her friends even began to notice that her bright personality was beginning to resurface. Novabolt hadn't smiled much since Silverstreak off-lined, but when she talked to the humans and the other bots, she smiled and laughed and her optics sparkled.

After about a week, Novabolt had returned to her normal self. But she still thought long and hard about what Silverstreak had said. What did she mean by 'a greater purpose'? Did that mean that they were going to fight in the war? Optimus Prime told them that Megatron and the Decepticons were on this planet too. It looked like there was no place to hide from their tyrant rule.

Later that day, most of Team Prime had gone out to scout for Energon deposits. Ratchet and Bulkhead had stayed behind. The scholars were watching Jack, Miko, and Raf race their remote control racecars around. There was a lightning storm going on outside, so you could hear thunder echoing through the base. Ratchet was working on the main computer when the lights and computers blinked out, leaving the base in complete darkness.

"What the slag?" said Bulkhead.

"Great," muttered Ratchet, "Don't anybody move! Let me just find a light."

It remained dark for about a minute before there was a bright flash of light. Ratchet shone the light around the room. The kids, both humans and younglings, were frozen in their tracks. Bulkhead had his servos out in front of him from trying to feel his way around. Ratchet grunted and walked back to the computer.

"Oh, just perfect!"

"What's the matter?" asked Lightjet.

"All the power is completely drained," said Ratchet, "The com uplink is down as well. We're completely dead."

"Is there any other way to restore the power?" asked Bulkhead.

"There's another outlet above the Ground-Bridge where we can try and reconnect to the power grid, but it's too high and too small for me to get in and fix it."

"You mean that?" Moonhopper pointed to a small opening above the Ground-Bridge.

"Yes," said Ratchet, looking at her with a slightly confused expression.

"I bet I can get up there and fix it," said Moonhopper, "I'm small enough and I've fixed power failures before."

"Well," Ratchet hesitated, "If you think you can fix it, be my guest."

He handed Moonhopper a toolkit and flashlight. She walked over to the Ground-Bridge.

"Think you could give me a boost, Bulkhead?"

Bulkhead set down his hand so Moonhopper could put her foot in it. He lifted her up in the air and she climbed into the opening. After about five minutes, the lights came back and the computers turned on. Moonhopper came out of the outlet with a proud look on her faceplate.

"Not bad," said Ratchet, "Not bad at all."

"Ratchet?" Optimus' voice came on the com link, "Do you copy?"

"Yes, Optimus. We had a slight power outage."

"Send the Ground-Bridge."

Ratchet walked over to the Ground-Bridge controls and activated them. When it opened, Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Smokescreen came through it carrying several blocks of Energon. They must have found a Decepticon Energon mine. Novabolt thought back to her lifelong dream of being a scientist.

"Heck of a load," said Bulkhead.

"I'll say," added Smokescreen, "Almost no one was there!"

They took the cubes to the Energon storage. While they were gone, Novabolt rounded up her friends.

"Hey, guys," she said in a hushed whisper, "I think we need to talk."

* * *

When the rest of the Autobots came back, the scholars were huddled into a small circle. Miko was trying to listen in on the conversation.

"What do ya think they're talking about?" she asked Jack and Raf.

"Will you just leave them be?" Jack was frankly annoyed with her constant eavesdropping.

"What are they talking about?" Smokescreen came over.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," said Miko, getting rather annoyed.

The scholars disbanded and walked over to the main computer. Optimus and Ratchet were standing there. They turned when they noticed the group behind them.

"With your permission, sir," Novabolt spoke loud and clear, "We would like to learn how to fight."

**Oh, la, la! This is the second longest chapter I've written for any story and the second longest thing I've written for anything! (1885 words)**

**Why can't this work for my AP essays? **

**Anyway, yay! Novabolt is feeling better! It was obvious that she would go through a depression after the death of her friend. But she managed to over come it! Hope you enjoy the chapter! Leave comments. I likes them ****. Laters! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Bonjour! Sorry it's been a few days. I've been working on another story that I'm hoping to publish soon. Thank you everyone who has been reading this. 'Heart of a Warrior' now has exactly 600 viewers! It feels really good knowing that people like my ideas ****. **

**Any who, this chapter will include more training time for the scholars. Will they have what it takes to become a part of Team Prime? Hope y'all enjoy it! **

**I do not own Transformers Prime! **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 7

Novabolt and Cryoblast faced each other in one of the base's larger storing facilities. They were both standing in fighting positions while Arcee and Smokescreen stood off to the side and watched.

"Again," said Arcee.

The two younglings started sparring with each other. Cryoblast wasn't keeping his balance very well; Novabolt swung her leg into his with one swift move and he fell to the ground. Cryoblast groaned in frustration. Novabolt laughed.

"I thought mechs were suppose to be tough," she offered him her hand. He grabbed it and stood up.

"Your approach is good, Cryoblast," said Arcee, "But you're being too stiff in your upper torso. You need to loosen up some."

He nodded and rolled his shoulders, retaking his battle stance. It had been three weeks since Novabolt and the younglings decided to learn how to defend themselves. Even though they had very little, if any, fighting experience, they adapted quickly. The youngling femmes had some background in gymnastics, so it was easier for them to learn. Cryoblast, however, had to learn it the hard way.

"Try it one more time," said Arcee, "Then we'll go get some Energon."

Novabolt and Cryoblast charged at each other again. Novabolt block most of Cryoblast's swings, allowing one to fly past her helm, and swung her fist, stopping it a few inches from his faceplate. He immediately froze and stared at it with wide optics. Novabolt smiled and lowered her fist.

"I'm beginning to think that you're letting me win, Cryo," she said.

"Am not," he protested, "You're just better than me."

"That's not it," said Smokescreen, walking over to them, "You're still learning some of the most basic skills. It will take time before you can fully master them."

He put his servos on both of their shoulders.

"And who knows, soon you might be ready to pick out your weapons."

Novabolt and Cryoblast smiled at the thought. This wasn't the life that either of them planned, but it felt right.

The four of them walked back to the main hanger of the base. Stormrunner and Searay had already finished their training with Bulkhead, Sunspot and Moonhopper finished their session with Bumblebee, and Lightjet had been receiving tutoring from Ratchet. Jack, Miko, and Raf were playing video games.

"Aww! Not again," complained Miko as Raf's virtual car sped past the finish line. The younglings watched them race while munching on their Energon cubes.

"Oh, oh! Sunspot," said Moonhopper, suddenly jumping up and stepping back, "Toss a piece in!"

She opened her mouth up wide. Sunspot broke off a piece of her cube and threw it at Moonhopper. The piece hit home and Moonhopper threw her servos in the air triumphantly while chewing. Everyone else cheered and whooped.

"Whoo! Go, Loony Moony," yelled Stormrunner. Moonhopper took a bow, then sat back down.

After they had finished their Energon, the younglings split into different groups to train once more. Novabolt was assigned to work with Smokescreen, much to her liking. They went into a different storage room where several barrels and boxes were lined up against the wall. Time for target practice.

"Okay," said Smokescreen, rubbing his servos together, "Let's begin again with some basics."

Novabolt held the practice blaster and mimicked Smokescreen's stance. Aiming carefully through the target scope, she shot at a couple of the barrels and knocked one of them over. She tried again on another, but missed it by a few inches. She vented in frustration.

"That's alright," assured Smokescreen, "There'll be time when you won't always hit it. But you're really improving on this."

Novabolt smiled, "Yeah, but I have yet to see you miss a shot."

"True," said Smokescreen. He transformed his left servo into a blaster and shot at each of the barrels, knocking all of them down.

"Aw, come on," laughed Novabolt, "Now you're just showing off!"

Smokescreen laughed back and walked over to where the barrels had been standing. He picked up something small, an Energon cube container, and set it high on top of some boxes.

"I bet," he started to say as he walked over, "That you can hit that container from the other side of the room."

"I can't do that," protested Novabolt, "It's way too far."

Smokescreen smiled, "Does that mean you forfeit?"

Novabolt looked at the container one more time, "What do I get if I win?"

"If you hit it," Smokescreen paused for a moment, "Then I'll make sure that you get to choose your weapons first. But if you lose, then… you have to scrub the Energon tanks for a whole day tomorrow."

Novabolt cringed a little, but accepted the challenge. She walked to the opposite side of the room. Even in her scope, the container was small. Novabolt looked over at Smokescreen and saw the big smile on his face. It wasn't meant to tease her. It almost seemed to say, "You can do it".

She lifted the blaster to optic level, adjusted it accordingly, and fired. The blaster shot soared across the room and hit the container smack in the middle. The impact left a dent in the side of the container. Smokescreen's optics widened with excitement.

"Ha ha! I can't believe it," said Novabolt, jumping up and down, "I hit it! I actually hit it!"

"See?" said Smokescreen, getting just as excited as she was, "I told you! You have potential, but you need to be willing to search for it. It never comes automatically to anyone."

Novabolt smiled at him. They went back to target practice. After a while, Novabolt was able to hit fast moving targets without taking time to aim.

"You're getting so much better at this," said Smokescreen as she shot at a barrel rolling to the side. She tried firing at another, but nothing came out of the gun. Novabolt looked at the side and the ammunitions was empty.

"I'll get another thing," said Smokescreen. Novabolt watched as he started walking out the door, and tilted her helm puzzlingly when he stopped.

"Novabolt," he said while turning around, "I-I did notice you a lot, back at the Academy."

Novabolt could feel her faceplate blushing, "Y-you did? Not just that last time?"

Smokescreen nodded, "I liked seeing the look on your face when you'd peek around the corner… and when you'd run off to your next class like you weren't even there."

"I didn't think that you ever saw me," said Novabolt, suddenly becoming shy, "You always looked like you were so… focused."

"Did I?" said Smokescreen. He laughed, causing the tension between them to dissipate.

"I always wanted to try and say hello, but you'd run off before I even got the chance."

He walked over and took Novabolt's servo into his own. Novabolt felt her sparkrate increase.

"Did you think it was… weird?"

Smokescreen thought for a moment, "No. To be honest, I looked forward to it every day."

Their optics met for a moment. For the first time, Novabolt saw how Smokescreen's optics glittered at every angle. They were almost hypnotic. They continued to stare at each other when someone entered the room. Novabolt let go of Smokescreen's servo and he turned around quickly. Bumblebee froze at the entrance with wide optics. Smokescreen and Novabolt could feel their faceplates burning red.

"[Um… Smokescreen, Optimus wants you and Bulkhead to check out an Energon spike,]" said Bumblebee, unsure of what to make of the situation. Smokescreen quickly walked out. Bumblebee stared at Novabolt for a moment. She threw down the practice gun she was holding and walked out as well. She made sure that she wasn't walking in the path that Smokescreen took.

"Great," she said to herself, "Now he's going to tell everyone what he just saw! How am I going to explain it?"

Novabolt thanked Primus that training had ended for the day. Instead of hanging out with the humans and the other scholars, she locked herself in her berth-room and tried to find a way to cope with this embarrassing event.

**Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! There's finally some romance in the air! Thanks again to everyone who's been reading this story. 600 people isn't much compared to others, but I still think it's awesome! **

**The next chapter will include the scholars getting their new weapons and possibly their alt modes. I haven't decided yet. If you guys have any requests for alt modes, please don't hesitate to leave it in the reviews or send me a PM. I enjoy reading those ****. Please leave comments! Laters! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, I am so ashamed of myself. I don't think I've ever gone this long to write a chapter. I'll try my absolute best to have the next one out sooner. **

Heart of a Warrior

Chapter 8

Novabolt had woken up from a deep recharge. It felt good to wake up to a new day, but then she remembered what happened yesterday and tried to force herself back into recharge.

Novabolt hadn't left her berth ever since Bumblebee caught Smokescreen flirting with her late last night. She had been completely flattered with his affection towards her, and she really didn't mind that much. But the others might think that it would be a little… early. Smokescreen was several vorns older than her. She remembered that Jack explained how it was a little weird when two humans were together and one was several 'years' older than the other. It wasn't exactly unheard of on Cybertron, but it was still considered odd. And to add on to that, Smokescreen was entrusted with the duty of keeping all of the younglings in line and in control. If Bumblebee told anyone else what he saw, Novabolt wondered if she and Smokescreen would get in trouble.

Novabolt on-lined her optics and sat up on her berth.

"Might as well get it over with," she grunted to herself.

* * *

Smokescreen was the second mech to wake up at the base. Bumblebee had woken up first and when out on patrol an hour ago. Smokescreen had been meaning to talk to Bumblebee since yesterday, but the scout had turned in early before he could get the chance. All he wanted to do was clarify what happened and asked Bumblebee to not tell anyone else about it. Smokescreen just hoped that Bumblebee would come back before the rest of Team Prime woke up.

Sure enough, Smokescreen heard the rev of Bumblebee's engine come through the entrance. The scout's yellow and black alt mode pulled into the main hanger of the base. Smokescreen walked over to him as he transformed.

"Hey, Bumblebee," Smokescreen rubbed the back of his neck, "I wanted to ask you something. About last night."

"[Oh?]" Bumblebee didn't sound that surprised.

"I was just… wondering if you could… keep that between us," Smokescreen struggled to find the right words, "I don't… I don't even know what I was trying to do. It just… it just came out. W-will you please not tell anyone?"

Bumblebee's optics smiled, "[Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me.]"

Smokescreen vented in relief, "Thank you, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee put his servo on Smokescreen's shoulder, "[You did, however, sound pretty sappy.]"

Smokescreen's faceplate turned red, "Wait, how much did you hear?"

Bumblebee laughed, "[Oh, enough.]"

"Oh, geez," Smokescreen covered his optics in embarrassment. But instead of teasing him about it, Bumblebee patted him on the back and assured him that he would keep the situation private. And with that, the two young mechs returned to their duties before the rest of the day began.

* * *

"Um, are you okay, Nova?"

Apparently, Novabolt's attempt to appear casual seemed to make her stand out even more. If there was one thing that could make this day turn sour, it would be having her friends teasing her about last night. Back at the Academy, there were times when something private that Novabolt wanted to keep secret would leak out and the other younglings would antagonize her for a while. It was never meant to be mean, but sometimes it would come across that way. Novabolt's only fear was what it would be like, since they had never involved a mech before.

"Cybertron to Novabolt, do you copy?" Stormrunner snorted and the other youngling femmes giggled.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you seem a little… uptight," said Cryoblast, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, no, everything's okay," Novabolt did a mental happy dance. They didn't know! Bumblebee hadn't said anything! Novabolt reminded herself to thank him later.

"Hey, Nova, did you hear," piped in Moonhopper, "Wheeljack said that he'd stop by!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. He'll be here later today."

The younglings had met the former Wrecker about a week ago. Turns out, he had a bit of a soft spot for younglings. Wheeljack took special interest in the scholars because of their background in studying engineering. The only one Wheeljack didn't get along with so well was Cryoblast. He never really agreed with anything related to politics and Cryoblast never liked the idea of being radical all the time. But all the same, Wheeljack said that he'd come visit again soon with something special for the scholars.

"I swear," Ratchet was nearby and overheard their conversation, "If he brings in another one of his inventions, I'll dismantle him myself."

Wheeljack's inventions tended to blow up most of the time, which was a burden on Ratchet since he was usually the one who had to clean up the mess. But time would soon tell what the Wrecker had in store.

* * *

"Alright, now where are all the shorties? I want them up at the Jackhammer in ten."

Wheeljack's voice carried through the halls of the base as the scholars continued their training. Ratchet groaned in frustration once Wheeljack came down from the upper deck.

"They're currently in the middle of their training," answered Ratchet, "And I suspect that they won't be done for a while."

"Aw, and I just got their new toys out and ready," groaned Wheeljack.

"Please tell me they aren't ones that will blow a hole in the wall, or frag the main monitor, or meld us all into a scrap pile."

Wheeljack chuckled, "No, they won't. I've been looking at some of my old weapons and tinkering with them so the kiddies have some of their own firepower. And I tested them before hand. You're welcome."

The Wrecker left the room to return to his ship. As he walked out, Ratchet secretly smiled to himself. He would never say it to Wheeljack's face, but he contributed so much to the team. Even if he didn't agree with Team Prime's methods, he always brought his a-game when it was needed. Ratchet had the feeling that, someday, they would all be thankful for him.

Until then, Ratchet just hoped that the scholars wouldn't get too carried away with their new "toys".

* * *

Once their training session was finished, the scholars lined up just outside the base where the Jackhammer was stationed. They waited patiently in parade rest while Wheeljack brought out a table with weapons lined up on it. The weapons were newly polished and were obviously upgraded recently. Smokescreen stood off to the side with his servos crossed over his chest to oversee the scholars' selections.

"Alright," said Wheeljack, "Now I understand that, during these past few weeks, you all have shown that you're more than ready to pound some dings into some Cons. But at the same time, none of you possess any kind of firepower whatsoever."

The scholars looked at each other and shrugged.

"Lucky for you," Wheeljack continued, "I kept some of my older blasters and weapons in case I ever needed them. I made some modifications with some stuff I… found. Just to add a little pizzazz. Novabolt, you're first."

Novabolt looked over at Smokescreen, who nodded back at her. He must have talked to Wheeljack beforehand about her taking first pick. She stepped up to the table and examined the choices. There were a few sets of wrist blades, swords, blasters, hammers, and wrecking balls. A pair of sleek wrist blades caught her eye. They were thinner than Arcee's, but still sharp to the touch.

"I'd recommend a set of blasters to go with that," said Wheeljack.

Novabolt nodded and continued looking. Most of the choices weren't that intriguing for her, that is, until her optics came across the last set. These blasters were small and ended in a point rather than a barrel. As she picked it up, it hummed with some kind of energy.

"Hm," Novabolt inspected it for a second, and then pointed it at a pile of rocks. Upon pulling the trigger, a bolt of electricity shot out the end and hit the pile, leaving it scattered and burned. The rest of the scholars stood with their mouths wide open.

"Oh, yeah," Novabolt smiled, "I'm definitely taking these."

She took her newly acquired blades and blasters and returned to her place in line. Stormrunner stepped up next. She took almost no time selecting a set of standard blasters and a hammer that closely resembled Breakdown's own. Searay came up next and chose a different set of wrist blades and a hydro-powered blaster. When she tested it out, the stream of water cut right through the rock.

"Man, now we really better watch out for ol' Searay!" commented Sunspot.

She came up next for her selection. Instead of grabbing the last set of wrist blades, Sunspot took a sword that was about half her height and some blasters. When it was Lightjet's turn, she took the wrist blades and a sniper rifle.

"Alright, Moonhopper," Wheeljack motioned for her to come on up, "Take your pick."

As Moonhopper stepped up, Cryoblast sighed. He knew that Wheeljack chose him last on purpose so the femmes would get the best. Moonhopper noticed this and, upon noticing that there was only one blaster left, took a set of machetes instead. They were a smaller, more feminine version of Ratchet's. As Moonhopper returned to her place, she winked at Cryoblast and nudged him in the arm to go up.

"Uh, what does this do?" he asked, motioning to the remaining blaster. The barrel was significantly larger and a small, blue casing was equipped near the handle.

"This is a highly powered liquid nitrogen blaster," said Wheeljack, "It's sorta like a mega-freeze ray."

"Oh, my gosh!" exclaimed Moonhopper, "That's, like, your perfect match! You know, because it's a freeze ray…"

"Yeah," said Cryoblast, "I get it."

"And your name's Cryoblast…"

"I said I get it."

"And Cryo means cold…"

"Moonhopper, I-!"

"So it's like a blast of Cryoblast!"

The other femmes started laughing while Cryoblast stood there with an annoyed look on his faceplate. Even Wheeljack and Smokescreen chuckled at the joke. Cryoblast tried to ignore them and snatched a sword as his secondary weapon before returning to his spot.

"Okay," Wheeljack broke up the laughing session, "We'll get you all fully equipped a little later and we can start testing your new skills. Until then, knock yourselves out."

The scholars disbanded and walked back to the base. Along the way, Novabolt caught up with Smokescreen.

"Did you really asked Wheeljack to choose me to pick first?" she asked.

"Of course," answered Smokescreen, "I did promise you and you totally deserved it."

Novabolt blushed as she gave Smokescreen a huge smile. Lightjet called her over and she ran to catch up. But she still looked back at Smokescreen, who was still smiling at her. Novabolt couldn't help but feel touched. She had never really met anyone who kept their word like that. It was a quality that she treasured dearly and to find that in a mech was one of the best things ever.

Novabolt chuckled to herself as she thought, _"Now that's a mech that needs to be held close!" _

**Hehe, I always wanted to do something with Cryoblast's name **

**Again, I'm sorry for not writing sooner. I've been fairly busy with Summer PE and 4-H, but I'm finally over with everything. Yay! Lately, I've been thinking about the future of this story and where it's headed. What I'm going to try and do is create a saga for this and have a story for each scholar. This one will just be the start for everything. Ooh, I could call it The Scholar Saga :D **

**Let me know what you guys think of the new chapter. Laters! **


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